Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 324 Battle in the Shrine!

It's no surprise the fight continues, since we're right in the thick of things, but I'll be damned if Yami wouldn't love a little break right now. Not only has he been grinding along in an escalating battle for several chapters now, but he's projecting into two places and realities at once! I get tired just cleaning my house and fall asleep READING now, so I can't even imagine what that kind of hustle is like. Somebody get this kid a nap, STAT.

Or a fucking BOMBSHELL, that works too I guess!

Hasan says Yami's dad spent his time on his deathbed worrying over what havoc the Millennium Items might wreak on the world. This led him to give his soul to seal a spirit into the Millennium Tablet, or the Tablet of the Pharaoh's Memories. So, Hasan got his ass planted in the tablet by a dying old dude? Did... did I read that right???

I seem to be the only one who has even MORE questions than before here, because after Yami's initial shock, he just marvels at how his father sacrificed himself to protect the kingdom and his son too. An image of said father is superimposed over the tablet across the room as Yami thinks about him, and he wonders if his dad's actions were all for nothing, since in spite of that effort...

Sure seems like that was one of those world-destroying things your dad was trying to avoid, for sure.

Zorc himself addresses Hasan, deducing that he must be a spirit from the afterworld if he's lived through all that hellfire that was just spat at him. Hasan responds that as long as there is light in the afterworld, even Zorc will cast a shadow, which Hasan identifies as. Have we come around again to the polarities of good and evil being switched to dark and light respectively again? Who knows? Zorc laughs that Hasan will be easy to crush if he's just a shadow, which makes me think he's never actually encountered a shadow before. He does realize that shadows are already flat and not really capable of being condensed down to the two-dimensions it already occupies, right? 

Oh well, KT was never really big on physics...

Hasan says that a shadow only disappears when its OWNER is destroyed, which is another technically untrue claim, and I really wish they would stop dragging out this metaphor because they both SUCK at it. But no, now Akhenaden jumps in on it, giggling about the "shadow" part of the metaphor, and adds that he himself has become Zorc's reflection in gaining his awesome powers, which is surely greater than a shadow! A more detailed but still two-dimensional image is just so much better than a crummy shadow, guys! Zorc thinks this deranged assignment of value to a physical phenomenon is interesting (because OF COURSE he would), and encourages Akhenaden to go ahead and reflect his power at Hasan and destroy him, fully giving over this opponent to his little priest minion. 

Thankfully, Yami's the one to break off this awful out-of-control metaphor chain, demanding to know from Akhenaden why he betrayed them and sold his soul to Zorc. Akhenaden explains that Yami is the living god of this world, controlling the three gods and all he surveys, but he can't see into the true darkness that affords power beyond that of the divine right of kings. 

Except, apparently the massive hulking god behind you, I guess. What qualities make Zorc able to touch this power that other gods can't? His willingness to let his toothed dong hang out there all day? 

Akhenaden continues to shoot lightning at Hasan and Yami, demanding that the pharaoh bow to him as he falls in death, adding that he former king should do that too, as an incoherent afterthought. Yami screams, eyes popping, as Hasan admits haltingly that he can't move under the yoke of such massive power and hatred. He's about to admit defeat at this rate, when Yami looks up with tired shock and Akhenaden yells in disbelief. 

It's Mahado, who's flown in front of both Hasan and Yami to counter the lightning attack from Akhenaden with and Afterworld Warp. As Yami looks up at him with relief and thankfulness, Akhenaden growls about the damn spirit magician of the pharaoh. Mahado urges Yami to look behind him, indicating that time has started moving again.

Looks like a fun party you guys just joined. With the word "fun" doing a bit of heavy lifting, as usual.

The recently reanimated medley of priests stands and stares for a moment while Zorc tries to be deep and says that there is only the darkness of death at the end of time. He adds that they're fools to stand against him, but Yami insists that he's wrong, and that their spirits will light the end of time. Is this another of those really janky metaphors, or...?

Yeeeeeaaaaah, "fun" is doing some REALLY heavy lifting for this dude in particular.

His reaction is quickly passed over, though, so we can see Hasan warn Yami that the evil one's power is almost infinite, and there's only one way for them to stand against it. Yami assumes that this must be the thing his friends are looking for, his lost name.

An exercise that has suddenly become very dangerous for them. In the tomb, Jonouchi is screaming that it's coming, referring to the statue approaching him from behind with its ominous sword raised. As the blades start swishing through the air, Jonouchi starts sprinting, alarmed that the statues have started attacking them. In the background, Honda is also flinching away from an approaching statue, appearing to be on a totally different path. They were all in an neat little line before, what the hell happened??

Yuugi flees another statue, yelling out that it's like time started back up again suddenly. No shit, Sherlock. Honda shouts to look out, since these mannequins are looking to kill them, and he's not much interested in finding out if they can. A fair worry, considering these statues appear to sense them where the other denizens of this world cannot...

After some scrambling terror, the group finally collapses on the platform at the other side of the chasm, panting from the effort of dodging all those swords. Yuugi doesn't let them rest for long, though, insisting that they have to keep going. Jonouchi dabs at his sweating face with what looks like a handkerchief, complaining that there's probably more traps ahead. But they walk through another passage unmolested, and come upon the straight path across another deep pit, leading to a shadowed dais on the other side. Yuugi's mouth hangs open in shock at what he sees there. 

You WOULD be. 

Yuugi blurts asshole!Bakura's name in utter disbelief, and Jonouchi asks what he's even DOING there. Asshole!Bakura spreads his arms wide in welcome, asking for confirmation that they're here to find the pharaoh's true name. He thrusts a thumb behind him to tell them that it's back there, the thief's soul in his Millennium Ring sensing it. Asshole!Bakura says he's not about to let them get to it, though, and this is as far as they're getting in their quest. He holds up his fleshy Duel Disk sprouted from his arm, announcing they'll have to defeat him before they can pass.

I don't know if asshole!Bakura WANTS to give off Black Knight energy here, but...

Yuugi gives him a full poop-face glare as asshole!Bakura asserts that this time it's for real. He reminds Yuugi what he said before they were interrupted before, about each of them having 4000 life points. Yuugi picks up the trailing thread without hesitation, lifting his own arm with a regular Duel Disk clasped over it, recalling that you die when those life points run out and that this is a shadow game. Grinning, asshole!Bakura says he's right.

Anzu calls to Yuugi in warning, saying it's too dangerous, and Jonouchi gapes in horror as Yuugi retorts that it's okay and he HAS to accept this fight. He's not showing the slightest sign of nervousness as he focuses entirely on helping his other self find his real name. Yuugi walks a little ways onto the path, asshole!Bakura already out there as well. Asshole!Bakura gestures to his gross Duel Disk and informs Yuugi that they both have their ideal 40-card decks in the machines they imagined already. The decks will conveniently randomize so they don't know which of their ideal cards will come up once they shuffle, though. 

Yuugi immediately picks a card from his hand, declaring that he's going first. He puts that card face down and summons... a marshmallow. No, I'm serious, it's a LITERAL Marshmallow, with a little upside down smiley face like that emoji. The card says it can only be damaged by spells and special abilities, but I don't know how that's an asset when EVERYONE has those two things. Seems weird, but then again, Kuriboh was dumb to everyone who came up against it so far, so who am I to say how this thing fares in a game? 

Asshole!Bakura gives Marshmallow the same general assessment that Kuriboh tends to get, too, which is a smug proclamation that it's a weak monster. Probably a good sign. He shouts that it's his turn as he draws a card.

No pressure, surely you can beat an armored skeleton on a horse with 1/3 of a S'more. 

So what did I think of this chapter overall? It brings up way more questions than it answers, and its answers aren't quite as satisfying as I'd hoped. Learning that Hasan was put into the Millennium Tablet by Yami's dad with the last of his strength is a bit like the ancient book that contained the instructions on how to make the Millennium Items; suggesting far more complexity and lore than there is time or space to elaborate upon. Sure, it sounds plausible that Yami's father could put a spirit in the tablet given previous mechanics with the items, but how did he learn to do this? Mahado said that he told the former pharaoh about the true nature of the Millenium Items just before he got sick and died, so that hardly leaves a lot of time for him to find out the intricacies of what his item was capable of. It doesn't even leave a lot of time to ponder and figure out the worst-case-scenario regarding what the Millennium Items could wreak. Either there's an implication here that Yami's dad knew about the information Mahado gave him long before hand and was already working on counteracting it, or it's just another problem in the vein of not properly considering how much time what he's proposing might take, like the story of the creation of the Millennium Items to begin with. 

I am VERY curious about how those statues started attacking Yuugi and company - Honda made a very slight reference to the fact that they hadn't really been solid matter in this world since they got here by suggesting there's a chance they couldn't be touched by them. They (Jonouchi in particular) had been unseen, unheard, and untouchable to all the other people there upon arrival, but these statues are able to perceive and pursue them the moment time started moving again. Honda's comment could have been a small lampshade on the problem, but I can't help questioning it, because there's a couple of interesting possibilities. Having been designed and produced by the priest Siamun, perhaps they are able to detect non-corporeal or spiritual intruders as well as those of flesh-and-blood, which implies that Siamun is not JUST concerned about physical looting but some otherworldly threat, and that would be a very cool angle to explore. Alternately, since this isn't the REAL tomb, but a game world reproduction, the statues are more a mechanic/puzzle than an NPC, so of course it stands to reason that they would behave the same no matter what and who entered the tomb to get to the dais on the other side. It's probably the latter, because that's the most straightforward answer, but I'll keep an eye out for hints from Siamun in the future, just in case.

My main hope is that they don't try to build a rickety tower of metaphor anymore. They Jenga'd it all over the place, and I hated every second of it.